Remember Back Then
by Bakura13
Summary: The last born of two clans, who were bitter enemies at war, must fight to the death and do not know of it. Uchiha Sasuke and one other must be ready for their fate as the string of destiny slowly unravels itself.
1. Chapter I: A Challenge? Sasuke refuses!

Chapter I – A Challenge? Sasuke refuses!  
  
[I've been trying to think this idea out carefully so I don't ruin another  
story... So hopefully this one will prove interesting. It has a bit of everything, possibly humor, perhaps fantasy and whatnot. It'll become more obvious as the fan fiction goes on. Anyway, enjoy... we hope. Disclaimer: I  
don't own Naruto.]  
  
Uchiha Sasuke leaned against a tree in one of the field training zones with his arms crossed over his chest as he warily trailed his dark eyes across the surrounding area. He had been graduated to a Chuunin and decided to have a sparring session with a certain hyperactive ninja of Konoha. He bowed his head slightly, his black bangs shadowing his eyes slightly as he remained calm and silent. He ducked and leapt to the side as a few shuriken flew at him and stabbed into the tree where he was originally standing. He sighed quietly, getting a vague idea where his ally was. For a fact, Uzumaki Naruto was not a quiet boy for even a thirteen year old.  
  
"I know where you are..." Sasuke called out, a bored expression on his face.  
  
He heard someone rush through bushes and started preparing a Ninjutsu technique for his opponent, waiting for the right moment to strike. He focused, while listening intently on the movements of his adversary then he saw a flash of orange heading right for him from the side.  
  
He inhaled deeply, turning so he faced Naruto, "GouKakyuu no Jutsu!" Then he blew out a stream of scorching flames towards the blond-haired boy.  
  
Naruto slid to a stop leaped back to avoid being charred into ashes from the fire that left the ground before him burnt. "That was too close! Sasuke! You could have killed me with that!"  
  
"If you were stupid enough to not avoid it, that would be something to argue about... Stop getting angry over nothing." Sasuke said calmly.  
  
"Hmph!" Naruto folded his arms behind his head and glanced to the side, a slight pouting look on his face.  
  
"Stop being immature... This sparring session is going on until you give up..." That comment made Naruto glare at Sasuke.  
  
"I'm not going to give up! Especially to you, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled then paused as he heard leaves rustling.  
  
Sasuke had heard it as well and he tilted his head down slightly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the trees behind him. Naruto took out a few shuriken and recklessly threw them into the leaves, hitting his mark. They both heard someone or something whimper slightly in pain and the shuriken were dropped onto the ground.  
  
"Who's there..." Sasuke put a hand on a kunai by instinct.  
  
"I'm not armed!" A voice said as someone slid off of the tree branch, keeping her weight off of one leg.  
  
Light brownish eyes looked between the two Chuunin boys and were met by the slight glower of Sasuke and the confused look by Naruto. She wore a forehead protector, which had the same engraving as all the students and teachers of Konoha , holding back the bangs of her dark brunette hair. She wore a pair of beige cargo shorts and a short sleeved blue shirt that had the village leaf on the center of it. She took half a step back as Naruto scratched his head and looked at her cut ankle.  
  
"Oi..." He said. "Are you okay?"  
  
She was about to answer when another person lashed out from the trees, a wind picking up, and landed a punch across Naruto's face, knocking him over and causing him to slide across the dirt path; bringing up a cloud of dust. Sasuke pulled out a few kunai, holding them between the spaces of his fingers as he raised his hand slowly across his body, keeping his gaze on the settling dust cloud.  
  
"Oi! What's the big idea!?" Naruto yelled as he sat back up, rubbing his jaw painfully.  
  
The one who had hit him stood up from her crouching position, claret eyes flaring with evident rage. A tightly drawn fist at her side caused a few knuckles to crack and Naruto looked at the attacker starting with the blue open-toed shoes that the ninja's commonly wore. He then noticed that the sleeveless dress that was worn by the teenager was similar to Sakura's choice of clothing but it was black with red intricate designs running up the sides. Raven black hair was tied back into a ponytail with long bangs hanging over her own forehead protector, shadowing her face slightly and her left shoulder and upper arm seemed to be wrapped in white gauze. The aggressor slid one foot back in an attacking stance, revealing the knee- length black shorts through the calf-high slice in the side of the garb; also revealing the fact that her form was a bit more strongly built than other female Nins that Naruto had seen.  
  
"Onee-san!" The brunette called out to the hostile teenager.  
  
A few shuriken were whipped out, resting between the spaces of the attacker's fingers and she held an arm back while her other hand held a kunai. Sasuke rushed forward, swiftly sweeping his arm back to his side then brought it back over the teenaged girl's throat from behind. He lowered his gaze slightly as the girl's arm reached back speedily and pointed her own kunai at the Uchiha boy's throat. The shuriken were left unnoticed and useless as the two stood at kunai-point, a heavy ominous silence blanketing over the training area. The raven-haired girl looked back out of the corner of her eye at Sasuke, her eyes narrowing as she met the narrowed gaze of the dark-haired Chuunin teenaged boy.  
  
"Eh?" Naruto stopped tending to his jaw.  
  
"Che... What's your business..." Sasuke asked coolly.  
  
The reply he got was quite an unpleasant act, his arm being forced away by a strike from her elbow and he ducked down as a backhand strike, armed with shuriken, was aimed at his head. Sasuke put his hands flat on the ground, using that support to able himself to kick the back of the aggressor's knees with both feet.  
  
"Stop it!" The slightly younger girl yelled out as she ran forward a few steps then stopped, her wounded ankle hurting. "Akina-sama!"  
  
Akina stumbled forward, falling on her hands and swung a kick to Sasuke who blocked it efficiently with his arm. The two glared irately at each other once more before jumping away and kneeling on the ground, both tense and ready to restart the exchange of blows if necessary.  
  
"Yukiko..." Akina said quietly as she glanced at the cut on her younger sister's leg, getting more infuriated. "Tch..."  
  
Sasuke continued to watch Akina cautiously as the other grabbed her younger sister's wrist and leapt off back towards the village, muttering an almost inaudible "keep up" as the two disappeared. Sasuke stood back up, keeping his arms at his sides as Naruto ran over; looking slightly clueless.  
  
"Sasuke, what the hell just happened?" Naruto asked. "One minute, I hit someone who could have been spying on us and the next I get punched in the face for no reason!"  
  
"Hn..." Sasuke moved his gaze to Naruto, disregarding what he said. "I didn't like the way she was looking at us..."  
  
"Nani?" Naruto blinked. "What do you mean?"  
  
Sasuke looked at Naruto's confused face for a moment. "... Nevermind, deadlast..."  
  
"Oi! Stop calling me deadlast! I'm a Chuunin now!" Naruto yelled, pointing at his own chest.  
  
"You're not acting like one..." Sasuke replied in a solemn tone.  
  
"You just wait until after lunch!" Naruto accused, pointing at the other. "You're the bastard that's gonna give up from training!"  
  
"Whatever..." Sasuke said as he put the kunai away.  
  
Naruto folded his arms behind his head again, fuming from Sasuke getting the last word and he started walking back toward the village. 'Stupid Sasuke... I'm not as weak as he thinks I am... I'm gonna be Hokage and there's no way that he's gonna ruin it for me!'  
  
Sasuke ignored Naruto's grumbling as he walked at his own pace, his hands in his pockets as he thought of what had just happened. 'The way she was glaring at us... It was as if she wanted to start a fight in the first place... It is obvious that the two are only Genin...'  
  
"Sasuke-kun!" The pink-haired Genin called out from the bridge.  
  
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto replied and ran up to her, grinning like a fox. "Wanna go to the Ichiraku and get some ramen with me?"  
  
Sakura looked at Naruto, an annoyed look on her face. "I was talking to Sasuke-kun... not you..."  
  
"... Will you go if Sasuke goes?" Naruto asked though slightly clenched teeth.  
  
"Sasuke-kun, are you going?" Sakura asked hopefully.  
  
Sasuke shrugged, not really caring since he was hungry as well. Sakura almost squealed in excitement of being able to eat beside Sasuke at the Ichiraku. Naruto, on the other hand, was a little disappointed that Sasuke was going but he could be able to sit beside Sakura anyhow. Sakura latched onto Sasuke's arm as they walked over the bridge to the village, not noticing the irritated look on Sasuke's face as he started to lose circulation in his right arm. Naruto glared at Sasuke as the other promptly tried to free his arm from the lovesick Genin girl. After a while, and after a bit of trouble, the three managed to make it to the ramen stand with Sakura managing to sit beside Sasuke and Naruto sitting beside Sakura.  
  
'Hell yeah!' Inner Sakura cheered, flashing the victory sign. 'I may be sitting beside Naruto but finally; I'm close enough to Sasuke-kun! That Ino pig can do nothing to ruin this!'  
  
Sasuke sat quietly with his elbows propped up on the counter and his fingers interlaced together while he rested his chin on his thumbs in thought. He narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling Naruto's glare from two seats away but he decided to ignore the childish act. When their bowls of ramen had arrived, Sasuke ate his lunch calmly while Sakura kept stealing glances at the Uchiha boy. Naruto... well... he was satisfying his hunger by ignoring everything around him and ate his ramen noodles as he pleased.  
  
Elsewhere, Akina was sitting in her home as she sat on the floor, wrapping Yukiko's ankle with white gauze. Her eyes still held the resentment towards the two Chuunin teenagers that she had recently got into a fight with. She narrowed her eyes as she finished bandaging the wound, crossing her arms as she thought about her encounter with the levelheaded Sasuke and the overactive Naruto.  
  
"Onee-san?" Yukiko sat cross-legged lightly. "What's the matter?"  
  
"I did not like the way they were looking at us-"  
  
Akina looked out of the corner of her eye as the front door started to get kicked open and she whipped a kunai at the doorframe.  
  
"Oi! Watch it already! First year on your damned team and you're already attempting to kill me!" An orange-reddish haired girl, wearing a reddish tunic, ducked down as the kunai imbed itself in the wood doorway.  
  
Akina stayed silent, her burning gaze meeting with the annoyed look in the lavender eyes that had crimson mixed into them. The visitor walked into the room and made herself at home by sitting on one of the living room chairs, propping up her brown boots on the coffee table.  
  
"Where the hell have you been... Kashiko..." Akina said in a low threatening tone, ignoring the door that stayed open.  
  
"What's it to you?" Kashiko snapped, glancing around the living room. "Nice place you got here. Mind if I move in?"  
  
"Yes..." Akina closed her eyes, resuming to her thinking.  
  
"Feh, aren't we bitchy as always..." Kashiko rolled her eyes, looking at Yukiko. "This is your little sis, eh? You two are so different. The older one's a grumpy, pessimistic bitch while the sister is happy-go-lucky. How ironic..."  
  
"You missed training..." Akina said somewhat calmly, her eyes remaining closed.  
  
"Training? As if! Since Kato-Sensei ain't here, I don't have an obligation to go training." Kashiko said in a matter-of-fact way as she folded her gloved hands behind her head.  
  
"Hn... Yukiko..." Akina opened her eyes, side glancing at her sister that was only a year younger. "That was..."  
  
"Uchiha Sasuke-kun." Yukiko nodded. "He became a Chuunin from the last exam and he was that year's number one rookie! I watched the final round last year with otosan while you were away and there were a lot of tough competitors!"  
  
"Eh? What're you talking about now?" Kashiko questioned, looking at one sibling to the other. "Oh come on, don't leave me outta this!"  
  
"Sasuke-kun is really, really powerful and he has a lot of skill." Yukiko continued. "It's amazing on how he can keep up with the fighting when it looks intense!"  
  
Akina narrowed her eyes, knowing what she wanted to do and stood up. Yukiko watched her older sister with curiosity and saw her walk over to the front door.  
  
"Onee-san! Where are you going?" She asked, standing up herself.  
  
"You're not planning on..." Kashiko trailed off then burst out laughing. "Good luck to you! I'm sure you'll do just fine!" Another snicker.  
  
Akina pulled the kunai out of the doorframe and walking outside, down a street as she swept her gaze around for the Uchiha boy. She ignored her sister partially limping after her and Kashiko who wanted to see what the other teenaged girl had in store for Sasuke. After some time of searching, the three spotted Sasuke walking along the street with his hands in his pockets and Sakura following him eagerly.  
  
"Sasuke-kun..." Sakura said a bit hesitantly, watching him keenly with her jade eyes. "... Will you go out with me now?"  
  
Sasuke sighed and closed his eyes, still walking. "No."  
  
Sakura hung her head in defeat on the numerous times that Sasuke had refused. She looked up, blinking at the three teenaged girls that stood in their path.  
  
"Uchiha Sasuke..." Akina said in a solemn tone, narrowing her eyes at him slightly.  
  
The said person stayed silent, opening his eyes in annoyance as he watched the aggressor who was pestering him that morning.  
  
Akina paused, watching the silent teenaged boy then finally decided to speak. "I wish to challenge you... As the price for attacking my younger sister..."  
  
Sasuke raised an eyebrow slightly, reflecting over the words that were said to him. Sakura looked at the intent gaze of Akina then back at Sasuke, starting to get worried.  
  
"Sasuke-kun...?" Sakura asked, waiting to see what answer he'd give out.  
  
"No."  
  
Akina clenched a fist, her voice coming out in a harsh whisper. "Nani..."  
  
"I said no. I refuse." Sasuke replied. "You want to know why?"  
  
"Onee-san..." Yukiko watched as her sister clenched her fist tighter, knowing that her fingers were itching to grab a kunai.  
  
"I have no business with you..." Sasuke said, ignoring Kashiko's sniggering. "It is not my problem if your sister could not dodge shuriken thrown by that deadlast... I am not planning on wasting my time fighting a Genin with no name when I have matters that are a lot more important than settling a rather small grudge. People get hurt one way or another and that is only a scratch... That's not even going into depth of the process of becoming a ninja. It will heal soon and there is nothing to worry over. If you want to fight me seriously then become a Chuunin and put your selfish needs to the side..."  
  
Sakura watched Sasuke with worry as he continued to look at the angered girl expressionlessly. With no words spoken, Sasuke continued on his way silently as Sakura stayed behind a moment, only to follow him afterwards.  
  
"That went well." Kashiko said sarcastically with a smug grin. "You really got on his good side."  
  
Akina turned halfway, watching Sasuke's back as he continued to walk off. At this point, her blood was boiling and she uttered a few words that dripped with revulsion. "Uchiha Sasuke..."  
  
[Tis pretty obvious who the original characters are. The thoughts and some characters in this story belong to my fellow authoress RADIO: :HACKER. Tis a story that is being worked on by the both of us and whatnot. The complete list of stuff that is created by us will be listed at a later time things have been introduced properly. We hope the first chapter was... interesting. P.S: If there are any spelling mistakes, tis most likely my fault and I might have missed them.] 


	2. Chapter II: Kashiko drops in and

Chapter II – Kashiko drops in and Gai-sensei lectures?  
  
[Very good point, angelwolf oO; That little detail will be fixed. And unfortunately, things will be a little confusing for at least the next few chapters or so... Sorry if it's a little confusing and strange; just don't  
want to rush things too much, you know? Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.]  
  
Naruto was walking home with his arms folded behind his head, his face vulpine-like and in thought. It was true that he did enjoy eating his lunch beside Sakura but Sasuke, in Naruto's words, gave a stupid half-assed reason why their sparring session was over. Not to mention that some strange teenager was following ever since he left the Ramen stand... It could have very well been Konohamaru but Naruto decided to worry about the more pressing matters...  
  
"Baka Sasuke..." Naruto muttered, a slight pout on his face. "I bet Kakashi is secretly training him... again... Stupid girl thinking she can just punch me and get away with it... This day can't get any worse!"  
  
He just heaved a heavy sigh and decided to put the disappointment to the side as he walked up to the door of his apartment. He reached for the doorknob to open it but the wooden door slowly creaked open by itself, causing Naruto to blink in surprise. He was sure that he locked the door before he had left that morning... pretty sure. He peeked inside of his house, seeing his kitchen table bare since all the things that were sitting on it had been knocked to the floor. Now Naruto was certain that he hadn't left a mess before he left for sparring this morning. He may have been hyperactive but he certainly wouldn't be that irresponsible. He heard something fall to the floor in his bedroom and he looked over his shoulder, blinking a few times.  
  
"Oi! Sasuke! You better not be in there!" Naruto yelled as he ran towards his bedroom.  
  
He ran into his room, finding it more of a mess with the dresser drawers pulled open, his bed sheets thrown to the floor and a few things tipped over. He looked around, seeing no one there as he walked in a few more steps, still suspicious that Sasuke could have been there to catch him off guard.  
  
"Hmph..." Naruto started picking up things that were sprawled on the floor , muttering under his breath.  
  
Unknowingly to the hyperactive ninja, Kashiko was hanging onto the ceiling of his room by focusing her chakra on her hands and feet. She watched him with a smug look on her face, seeing the blond looking quite aggravated as he started remaking his bed. She crawled as silently as she could across the ceiling, trying to get a better look but could only take a step more before she lost her control over her chakra. Naruto started putting the pillow back on his bed before he heard someone curse, causing him to look up.  
  
"Nani?!" Kashiko came crashing down on Naruto from the ceiling.  
  
Naruto started clawing at the floor, trying to get up frantically as the weight on his back continued to sit there. Kashiko muttered something as she rubbed her backside and got up, a foot on Naruto's head.  
  
"O-Oi!" Naruto's yell was muffled, his face forced into the floor.  
  
"Eh?" Kashiko looked down, pretending to look surprised as she raised her foot slightly.  
  
"What's the big idea?!" Naruto yelled, rubbing his face as he started to get up. "YOU! You're the one that's been following me-OI!"  
  
Kashiko put her foot back down, reintroducing Naruto's face to the wooden floor. "Aren't we rude today. Nice place you got here."  
  
Naruto managed to sit up and rubbed his sore face once again. "Why the hell are you here?!"  
  
"How rude..." Kashiko said as she sat back on the bed, glancing around. "I could get used to this..."  
  
"This is my place! You can't just break into here and expected to be welcome!" Naruto jumped up and pointed accusingly.  
  
Kashiko glanced behind her shoulder at the window, completely disregarding what the hyperactive ninja had said. "Nice view. Akina would probably hate it for sure and go on and on about the damned windows though..."  
  
Naruto growled for a moment and then he suddenly remembered something. "Oi! You know who that person is?!"

"Hai," Kashiko asked, raising an eyebrow in mock curiosity. "Nande?"  
  
"Ne, who does she think she is?!" Naruto yelled, shaking a fist. "I become a Chuunin after the second Chuunin exam from last year and she thinks she can just punch me! I don't care if she's a girl, she's not getting away with this!"  
  
Kashiko took it upon herself to push one of the windows open and look out at the street below. "What's your name anyway?"  
  
Naruto blinked and then stood proudly. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I'm definitely gonna be the next Hokage! No one is going to stop me from that! Not that baka Sasuke or that person who punched me!"  
  
Kashiko looked back, blinking lazily at Naruto. "You... the next Hokage... Hah, not with that attitude..."  
  
"Nani?!" Naruto fumed, glaring at the other. "You shut up! I will become the next Hokage!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah... sure..." Kashiko said as she looked out the window again, seeing a blue-haired teenaged boy. "Oi! Kaori-kun!"  
  
The genin boy below them looked up, blinking his dark green eyes as he gave a somewhat salute-like wave to his teammate. "Kashiko-san, I was just about to get you."  
  
"Nande?" Kashiko asked, climbing out of the window and landing on the street below. "What happened now, are we goin on another boring mission already?"  
  
"Not quite... Kato-Sensei wants us to meet him somewhere but I haven't found Akina-san anywhere..." Kaori scratched the back of his head.  
  
"I bet she's still pissed off," Kashiko folded her arms behind her head boredly. "You know that Uchiha guy, right?"  
  
"I've only heard of him..." Kaori admitted with a sigh.  
  
"Well, you'll hear a lot more about him if Akina decides to put a full out grudge against him. Somethin happened cause of him and that guy up there," Kashiko nodded towards Naruto, who was still perched on the windowsill. "He got Akina's little sis hurt and yadda, yadda, yadda... You get the point."  
  
"It wasn't my fault!" Naruto protested, jumping down from the windowsill. "I thought someone was sneaking up on us!"  
  
"Sure... Whatever you say... Anyways, let's get movin, Kao-kun." Kashiko smirked when she saw Kaori visibly wince from the nickname.  
  
"Right." Kaori nodded and leapt up onto a roof, running across them.  
  
"Well, it was a nice meetin and all, Naruto-kun, but I gotta see what's goin on. Ja." Kashiko leapt after her teammate.  
  
Elsewhere in the village, Akina growled as her sensei was using her head as an armrest jokingly. She almost glared at her brunette Jounin instructor out of the corner of her eye as he talked with another.  
  
"You're the infamous Prodigy that Gai's been talking about, hm?" Kato asked, watching the bored-looking Kakashi with his navy blue eyes. "Well, at least you're not as... well... crazy is not the word to explain Gai... Overly expressive?"  
  
Kakashi raised an eyebrow, looking at the other Jounin instructor. "You not around here much, are you?"  
  
"I'm sort of busy with this one," Kato pointed to the scowling Akina. "And the rest of my team... Two of them definitely have problems getting along, you know? That and I've been trying to talk to you for a while demo... Gai has so many ways to explain you and it takes quite a while..."  
  
"Mhm..." The silver-haired Jounin didn't seem too interested. "So what do you want?"  
  
"Well, we all sort of have to talk about this. I was speaking to Gai about this little... I guess a special training session and I don't want to ruin the surprise for any of our teams." Kato looked down at Akina who made a 'tch' sound and looked away angrily. "Anyway, you up for it?"  
  
Kakashi shrugged. "They could use the practice... Naruto and Sasuke are going at it again, even as Chuunin..."  
  
Akina tensed at the sound of Sasuke's name and she crossed her arms over her chest, turning away. 'That bastard...'  
  
"Okay then! We'll just meet in one of the field training zones just outside the residential area. I'm sure Gai is already there." Kato explained. "Akina, I'm expecting you to be there."  
  
"Iie..." Akina muttered under her breath, a bit louder than she intended.  
  
That comment earned her a sharp slap upside the head, causing her to grab the back of her head and glare at the ground as she scowled. That seemed to happen more often since Akina refused to do things but ended up cooperating anyhow. Muttering once again, the angered Genin watched as the two Jounin instructors disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving her on her own. No sooner as Akina put her arms back to her side, she felt a heavy weight land on her back and nearly throw her off balance. She stumbled forward a few steps and glared behind her, finding Kashiko sitting on the ground with the same smug look on her face.  
  
"Hah, you nearly jumped out of your skin there..." Kashiko snickered.  
  
"... Whatever..." Akina muttered as she leapt off to the decided meeting place, the rest of her team following.  
  
After a few moments of traveling and nearly giving Kashiko a black eye, the team made their way to their destination. Much to Akina's dismay, Sasuke was there as well and she growled, sliding to a stop. Sakura and Naruto were there as well and they looked over to see what the commotion was about.  
  
"Oi! Watch it!" Kashiko nearly rammed into the other girl. "Warn us next time when you want to stop like that!"  
  
Kakashi, Gai and Kato were talking a little distance away while the rest of the teenagers stood around, seemingly bored... except Rock Lee, of course. He was literally jumping for joy, yelling the occasional "Yahoo!". The teenager hadn't changed much over the past year, still wearing his expressive clothing of his sensei and the hairstyle was left unchanged. He was particularly excited today and all the jumping around was starting to worry some of the other teenagers, since they knew about his deadly leg and arm injuries.  
  
"Lee!" Gai called over at his apprentice.  
  
"Hai, Gai-Sensei?" Lee stood as straight as a plank, saluting.  
  
Gai seemed to sigh slowly then flashed his student a sparkling smile, giving him a thumbs up sign. "This can be your chance to shine, Lee! I've told you once and again, the Lotus always blooms more than once! The youth shall always conquer any obstacle and succeed!"  
  
Lee nodded, clenching a fist near his face as, what seemed to be, tears of joy streaming down his face. Neji and TenTen were used to the expressive words of their Sensei and chose to say nothing at all. The Hyuuga teenager simply stood there a few feet away from Lee and moved away when the other decided to jump around almost haphazardly... almost.  
  
"Gai, can we just borrow a set of those weights that you train with?" Kato asked, interrupting the long speech.  
  
Gai nodded, taking the pair of weights that Lee usually wore on his legs. "I don't see why not!"  
  
"Good... Akina, hold your hands out-."  
  
"... Why me..." Akina growled, almost demanding an answer.  
  
"Don't you want to be stronger and be able to move much faster after you train with weights? Take Rock Lee for example. He's much faster than you." Kato explained. "Besides, you could use the practice..."  
  
Akina grit her teeth and hunched her shoulders slightly as she held her arms out reluctantly. "... Fine..."  
  
"Gai will put them on for a bit... I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle..." Kato tried to hide his smirk as the infamous Gai attached the weights around the Genin's arms, holding them for a second. "Okay."  
  
When Gai let go of the weights, Akina felt like the blood circulation was cut off from her arms. Her mind started to wonder how in hell's name Rock Lee and his Sensei were able to walk around while carrying those weights on their legs. Clenching her teeth tightly, Akina tried to slide a foot forward to get a bit of balance but the weights were more than a challenge.  
  
"Son of a b-" She hissed before she lost what little balance she had.  
  
Kato crossed his arms, hiding a smirk again. "See? A piece of-" The weights hit the ground, bringing Akina down with them. "... Cake... Well, while you're sitting there, I'm sure Gai will be happy to lighten up your spirits a bit..."  
  
"Has this one lost faith in herself?!" Gai jumped into another weird stance, over exaggerated tears flowing down his face as he looked at the sky mournfully.  
  
"Hahah! I can't believe she fell for that!" Kashiko laughed, pointing at the glowering Akina. "Man, I thought this day was gonna be dull! This is great!"  
  
"Urusai!" Scowling, Akina tried to pull the weights off of the ground but with little success.  
  
Giving up, Akina continued to sit there as an eyebrow twitched violently. One humiliation after the other and the rest of her team, including her Sensei, were finding it amusing.  
  
"You should never doubt your strengths!" Gai said proudly, pointing at Akina. "The youth shall always prevail! Right, Lee?"  
  
"Hai, Gai-Sensei!" Lee flashed a similar sparkling smile.  
  
A sharp glare was shot towards Kato as he merely shrugged 'innocently' at his very irritated student. Sasuke merely rolled his eyes and looked away, letting his thoughts drift elsewhere as he tried to ignore what was thought as normal.  
  
"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto ran over to the said person. "What's the point of this?"  
  
"Well..." Kakashi paused a moment, not looking up from his reading.  
  
Sakura sweatdropped heavily, not believing that her sensei was reading that horrid book as Inner Sakura voiced her opinion in her mind. 'That old pervert! He still hasn't changed... How can he possibly read that! And HER!' Inner Sakura clenched a tight fist in the air. 'How dare that bitch think she can just walk over and think she can take on Sasuke-kun!'  
  
"Kakashi-sensei! Stop stalling! Tell us!" Naruto protested.  
  
Sighing at the Chuunin boy's impatience, Kakashi kept reading on while explaining. "You have to learn some patience, Naruto... Yelling like that isn't going to get you anywhere... But since we were planning on telling you sooner or later..."  
  
Naruto nodded eagerly, waiting for Kakashi to continue. He saw the Jounins look at each other then looked at their own teams.  
  
"Ne, Ne! What is it, Kakashi-Sensei!?" Naruto asked again.  
  
"Gai-Sensei? What is it?" Lee watched his idol, seeing that he was in great thought for a moment.  
  
The teachers said nothing as curiosity started to arise between the Genin and Chuunin. Kashiko raised an eyebrow and looked at the other two Jounin instructors before looking back at her Sensei.  
  
"What's with all the secrecy?" She asked, mildly impatient.  
  
"I suppose we'll tell you..." Kato cleared his throat, trying to stall a bit longer. "Well, all of you are going to be involved in..."  
  
[Pretty good cut-off point, ne? The third chapter is being worked on... really... We assure you ] 


	3. Chapter III: Special training! I’ll succ...

Chapter III – Special training! I'll succeed!  
  
[Sorry this chapter took a while... a long while... Aheh... Sort of forgot to put  
it up... Please don't kill me! Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.]  
  
"It's a special type of training that will involve patience and knowledgeable skills." Kato started to explain. "Since two of Kakashi's students are Chuunin, it's a perfect opportunity for them to pick up a few tricks."  
  
"Nani? What do you mean?" Naruto asked, blinking.  
  
Continuing his reading in his book, Kakashi took over the explaining. "All of you will be split up into two teams... The leaders of each team will be Naruto and Sasuke. Though the teams will be a little uneven number-wise, it won't matter as long as you keep focused." He turned a page. "For Sasuke and Naruto, it will give you two a chance to learn how to manage a new team of ninjas and get the objective done on a specific time. That skill will definitely be needed by the time you are Jounin."  
  
"Sugoi! There's no way you can win, Sasuke! I will defeat you in this training!" Naruto pointed at Sasuke.  
  
"I'm not finished..." Kakashi said, causing Naruto to grow quiet with curiosity. "Each team leader will get a list of objects that they will have to collect in order to complete this training successfully and within a specific time limit. Also, a list of D-rank missions will have to be completed with a stamp as proof of it. Each team won't know what the other has to retrieve and what D-rank missions they have to complete."  
  
"If you pass this training, Lee, then you will be one step closer to your dream!" Gai yet again pulled another odd pose, his fist in the air. "Tsunade-sama said that your injuries have improved enough for you to resume being a proper ninja!"  
  
"Yahoo!" Lee said excitedly then got punched in the head by his Sensei. "Itai!"  
  
"Yet you are not to push yourself, Lee! Everything in moderation!" Gai warned then had streams of tears falling down his face. "Gomen nasai, Lee! I'm just so proud!"  
  
"Yosh!" Lee continued to hold his head but had the same stream of tears.  
  
Most of the others sweatdropped at the pure oddness of the Taijutsu pair, knowing that was normal at the very least.  
  
"And you're one of Gai's other friends I've been hearing about, right?" Kakashi said flatly.  
  
"Yep." Kato nodded. "Just haven't known him as long as you have though."  
  
"During the time you've known him, do you understand his... tendency to be as odd as he is?"  
  
"Not a clue."  
  
"Hey, that makes two of us."  
  
Neji sighed slowly, looking up at the sky with his pallid eyes. When Lee had the injuries that would threaten his chances of ever becoming a proper ninja, the Hyuuga genius had grown to respect the persistence and boldness of the Taijutsu genin. He had shown true bravery and courage against the Sand Nin that was more than ready to kill him.  
  
Kakashi held up two scrolls in his hands, each one with either the name Sasuke or Naruto written down in ink. "Both of you take a scroll and don't show each other or anyone else... Your team members have already been chosen..."  
  
Naruto ran over and grabbed his designated scroll; eager to see who his team would be and was already thinking how Sasuke would feel when he beat him. Sasuke calmly walked over and took his designated scroll, making sure Naruto wasn't watching him as he opened it.  
  
"... Kato-Sensei..." Akina said quietly.  
  
"Hm?" The Jounin looked down at his student. "Oh, uh... Gai, I think we can take these off now."  
  
Gai nodded and removed the weights from Akina's arms, who could painfully feel the blood circulation return to her forearms. Scowling in pain, she flexed her fingers a few times and tried not to look too pathetic on her part. Truth be told, it was hurting like hell but she tried to make it the least obvious as possible.  
  
"Let's see..." Naruto looked down the list. "I have TenTen... Kaori... and Kashiko on my team! Eh? Matte!"  
  
'What about Sakura-chan?!' He thought.  
  
"Well, this is gonna be interesting." Kashiko said as she folded her arms behind her head.  
  
"Neji, Sakura, Lee and Akina... Hm..." Sasuke read his own list. "Alright, my team, come over here. We have to talk about what we're going to do..."  
  
'I'm on Sasuke's team! Hell yeah! Luck is on my side!' Inner Sakura cheered, as Sakura was more than happy to walk over to her team leader.  
  
Akina hunched her shoulders slightly and shot a glare towards her Sensei. "Iie! I refuse to do this, Kato-Sensei!"  
  
"Don't start. This is for your own good..." Kato crossed his arms. "And this is training."  
  
"I refuse to take part in this!" Akina scowled, standing up as she looked away.  
  
"I'm not asking you to, I'm telling you to..." Kato sighed. "What have I told you about arguing with me?"  
  
"Demo-" She glared again as she got cut off.  
  
"Ah. Shush." The Jounin placed his hand over his student's mouth. "One more word and you know what happens."  
  
Growling, Akina crossed her arms and reluctantly walked over to her temporary team, making sure she stayed a good distance away from Sasuke.  
  
"Moderation, Lee! Remember that!" Gai said proudly. "If you remember to do that, there is no doubt that you can succeed for the Chuunin Exam!"  
  
"Hai, Gai-Sensei!" Lee saluted and walked over to Sasuke, looking determined.  
  
"Lee-san! Your leg seems to be getting better!" Sakura smiled politely at the Taijutsu boy. "That's wonderful!"  
  
"Hai, Sakura-san." Lee nodded. "It's taken a long while but it's paid off!"  
  
"Hm..." Sasuke rolled up the scroll. "First of all, we have to meet in front of the Academy at six tonight, that's our rendezvous point. All of you should be familiar where that is and don't be late. I'll go through the objectives then we have to start."  
  
"One more thing," Kakashi interrupted both teams. "There is to be no cheating. We'll know if you did. Each client that is listed for the D- rank missions has a stamp to mark your scroll if you have completed the mission properly."  
  
After a few moments more of the teams discussing what they had to do, they mostly went their own separate ways. Naruto was disappointed since Sakura wasn't on his team but he found the special training might give him an advantage.  
  
'Maybe if I beat Sasuke at this, Sakura-chan will finally go out with me!' He thought to himself, snickering.  
  
"Oi! Sakura-chan!" Naruto called over to her and ran to catch up with her.  
  
Akina walked down the vague dirt path with her arms crossed over her chest as she continued to look forward with annoyed look on her face. Kaori walked quietly and calmly beside her keeping his gaze towards the ground. He seemed almost disappointed about something but did his best to make it as least noticeable to anyone as possible. A lazy arm was placed on Akina's shoulder and she narrowed her eyes, keeping her gaze forward as she could almost feel an anger vein throbbing on her forehead.  
  
"Ironic, ain't it?" Kashiko said in an amused tone. "It's obvious that you hate that Uchiha guy and now you have to do what he says."  
  
Akina shrugged the other's arm off of her shoulder and continued walking, her eyebrow starting to twitch.  
  
"Bah, you're pathetic..." Kashiko folded her arms behind her head, smirking in glee.  
  
"Urusai..." Akina muttered, closing her eyes calmly as she tried to block out the insults.  
  
"Hmph... Baka... Honestly, I don't know how any of us get anywhere with you being all pissed off with every living being on this planet..." Kashiko muttered loud enough for the rest of her team to hear.  
  
Clenching a tight fist, Akina opened her eyes halfway and shot a glare at her teammate. "I thought I told you to be quiet..."  
  
"Since when were you the team leader? You have to listen to Sasuke now!" Kashiko stuck her tongue out at the other.  
  
Akina stopped walking, her blood almost boiling as she pulled a fist back and punched Kashiko right across the face. Kaori blinked and watched Kashiko stumble back a few steps then started to get worried as the two shot death glares at each other.  
  
"What'd you do that for?!" Kashiko yelled, a red mark on her cheek. "I think I bit my tongue, no thanks to you!"  
  
"It's self-explanatory, isn't it?" Akina crossed her arms again, looking away.  
  
"Why you!" Kashiko ran over and punched the other right back.  
  
"Ano... Akina-san... Kashiko-san..." Kaori tried to interrupt the two fighting teammates but he was ignored. "Matte..."  
  
"That's what you get, baka!" Kashiko glared.  
  
"Urusai, teme!" Akina pulled her fist back for another punch but Kashiko grabbed her hair. "Itai! HANASE!"  
  
Kashiko grinded her teeth as her face was being pushed away by the other teenager's hand. Kaori sweatdropped nervously, his hand hung in mid-air as he watched the two fight childishly. He didn't know why but they seemed to fight worse than two young siblings over a toy. They hadn't done that too often, mostly because the two had refused to speak with each other for a good few weeks. Yet this time it seemed worse... perhaps it was just a bad day? Or so he hoped...  
  
"Ne, Kashiko-san? I don't think Kato-Sensei would approve of this... Remember what punishment we all got last time...?" He thought that got their attention.  
  
"You couldn't do a proper jutsu to save your life!" Kashiko spat at the other, tugging on the other's hair more severely.  
  
Or not. "Akina-san?"  
  
"You're just a rude, spoiled little brat!" Akina growled, putting her foot on the other's stomach to put more distance between them. "Let go!"  
  
"You first!" Kashiko snapped.  
  
The two continued to glare at each other and Kaori walked up, trying to separate them. "Both of you let go at the same time, okay?"  
  
The heated glaring continued between the two as they refused to back down to one another. After a few more moments of glaring the two reluctantly backed off and crossed their arms, looking away from each other. Akina muttered curses and leapt off back towards the residential area.  
  
"That's it, you run away!" Kashiko yelled after her. "You just wait, I'll get you back for that!"  
  
Kaori heaved a heavy sigh, glad that the two had stopped arguing but he was left alone as Kashiko basically stomped off on her own. He scratched the back of his head, thinking of which one to go after but gave up. He made his way home, walking through the streets until he arrived at his home. No sooner had he put his hand on the doorknob, the door flew open and he was nearly toppled over by a little boy.  
  
"Nii-san!" The eight year old smiled a toothy grin at him. "You're home! Okaa-san tried to tie my hair back up again!"  
  
Kaori blinked a few times, looking at the half-tied ponytail of his younger brother's dark blue hair. "Muro-san, you should have let her fix it..."  
  
"But it makes me look like a girl!" Muro whined as he finally let go of the other.  
  
Kaori scratched the back of his head, trying to think of something. "Iruka- Sensei has his hair tied up and does he look like a girl?"  
  
Muro thought hard for a moment, a finger resting on the side of his face before he lowered his voice. "Don't tell anyone, Nii-san... I think he does..."  
  
"I... uh..." Kaori was pretty much lost for words. "He isn't and you should... probably keep that to yourself..."  
  
He walked into the apartment, closing the door as his younger brother trailed behind him. He nearly jumped when a hand was placed on his shoulder then he heard a chuckle from behind him.  
  
"A little more nervous, eh?" A taller man asked him.  
  
"Kejra, that wasn't funny..." Kaori scratched the back of his head in slightly embarrassment.  
  
The longhaired, sixteen-year-old Chuunin grinned a bit guiltily and folded his arms behind his head. "You're just too easy to scare, you know? What is it this time?"  
  
"Nani? What do you mean 'this time'?" Kaori asked suspiciously.  
  
"Hai!" Muro agreed as he jumped on one of the kitchen chairs so he could be around the same height as his brothers. "Tell! Tell!"  
  
"There's nothing to tell! I'm serious!" Kaori put his hands up defensively. "Today was just a little odd, that's all."  
  
"Really..." Kejra said, closing his eyes in thought. "And what was particularly odd about this day from the others?"  
  
"It's not that big of a deal..." Kaori glanced around nervously then saw his mother. "Okaa-san, I've been looking for you!"  
  
The elder brother opened an eye and watched the other make his escape to save himself from further questions. "He can't keep avoiding the questions forever... Right, squirt?" He looked over at the youngest.  
  
"Hai!" Muro nodded.  
  
"Alright, let's go see your girlfriend." Kejra grinned.  
  
"She's not my girlfriend!" Muro whined.  
  
"Then what is she?" Kejra asked in an amused tone.  
  
"Moegi-chan is part of Konohamaru-san's team! They're great and I wanna be just like them!" Muro said enthusiastically. "Konohamaru-san even said I could try to join them!"  
  
Kejra blinked a few times, not really believing any of it at all then stuck his tongue out childishly. "So... she's your girlfriend. Really, my younger brothers get girlfriends before I do..."  
  
"She is not!" The younger brother held up a fist. "Besides, you can't find her by just looking! Konohamaru-san's group travels with extreme stealth and speed!"  
  
"Bah, you're pathetic!" Kejra gave the other a noogie.  
  
"Nii-san? Why are you wearing an earring?" Pointing at the single earring on the other's ear, Muro leaned forward on the back of the chair.  
  
"Ah, come on! Don't keep asking me about that!"  
  
"But why?"  
  
"Just because I can!" Kejra proceeded to the front door.  
  
"Nii-saaaan! Tell meeee!"  
  
"I already said no!" Kejra peeked into the living room on the way by. "Kaa- san, the squirt and I are going out for a bit. We'll be back to help with dinner..."  
  
"Don't forget the shopping list!" Their mother said from the other room.  
  
"Hai, Hai..." Kejra sighed as he grabbed the small list from the counter. "I'm sure we'll be able to squeeze that in between visiting the squirt's girlfriend and-OW! You little runt!"  
  
"She's not my girlfriend!" Muro insisted as he gave another kick to his brother's shin.  
  
"Ite...Is too."  
  
"Is not!"  
  
"Is too-OW! Stop that!"  
  
[Just fixed a few things here and there... and this chapter was the weirdest thus far oO; From clueless Jounin to cat fights-I mean, arguing Genin... Spelling errors? Hell yeah xX Really, the next chapter is being worked on and should be a hell of a lot better than this one... Or so I hope.] 


End file.
